Charme's featured artist beat cancer three times and has made it her mission to create art with a purpose
Does a three time cancer survivor sound badass to you? What about a mom who’s also a runner, an elementary school teacher, and a trained artist? Meet Brianne Harness. She's the artist who’s work hangs in Charme Studio and is all of those incredible things and MORE! She’s a hard-working mama and we couldn’t be happier to feature her work.
Brianne opened her own business called be.CAUSE Gallery and Studio where she sells her artwork (including commissioned pieces), as well as hosts creative events and painting parties where people can come and follow her instruction to paint beautiful pictures… proving that everyone can be an artist. The best part about be.CAUSE is Brianne’s mission to give back… “art with a purpose.” Ten percent of all proceeds go to national and local charities.
One of those charities is Peach’s Neet Feet, which is also where my relationship with Brianne actually began. Back in 2015 when my work as the Nail Fairy took off via social media, news channels, and magazines, I got connected with Brianne because she painted custom shoes. Every Nail Fairy OBVIOUSLY needs special Nail Fairy shoes, so she made me a pair and I wore them on my visits to the Children’s Hospital. This awesome charity donates hand-painted shoes to children with disabilities and serious illnesses. Check out Peach's Neet Feet's website here.
If you think she sounds too good to be true, I promise you she is every bit as awesome as you’re thinking… and her philanthropic tendencies don’t stop at Peach’s Neet Feet. She’s actually donated over $3,000 of her profits in the last three years. Brianne works with multiple animal charities; donates to cancer research at the Mayo clinic, global initiatives through The Pourhouse, the Boys and Girls Club of Bloomington, and Habitat for Humanity. Wait, what? Where’s Bloomington? I wish she lived closer, but Brianne and her daughter, Paisley, live in the state of Indiana. However, the distance didn’t stop us from staying in touch over the years.
When I first opened Charme Studio, I commissioned a painting of my fur baby, Charm, and after clients urged me to get one of Chico (I know, I know… it’s only fair), I got one of him too! Brianne is so incredibly inspiring but also talented so I tell all of my clients to contact her about pet portraits (and many of them have!) However, it doesn’t stop there, she can paint almost anything you’d like! I absolutely want to support such an incredible individual in her career and in her efforts to make and share art with a purpose. For that reason, she is the only artist we have featured in our studio and all pieces are for sale (well all but Charm and Chico’s portraits of course!)
I’m so thankful I have such inquisitive customers who inspired me to share more information about my friend, Brianne, and I’m equally as grateful to have crossed paths with an artist like her years ago. Just as I’ve put efforts into being the Nail Fairy, I have so much love for other business owners who are more than willing to give back. Because I'm feeling the warm fuzzies, I thought I'd leave you with this quote which is SO true of Brianne (and me), "If you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life." -- Marc Anthony